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"A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch." - James Beard

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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Matt's Shepherd’s Pie (Guest Post)

Here's one of my wonderful husband's dinner specialities. It's fantastic! And not just because I don't have to cook it.

If it’s not obvious my now, I’m lucky to be able to taste so
many of Jen’s wonderful dishes. As much as I like helping and tasting, I even
enjoy cooking sometimes too. One recipe that I’ve been tinkering with for ages
now is my shepherd’s pie. You can make this recipe in lots of different ways
but there are a couple of tried-and-true tips to make any shepherd’s pie even
better that I’m happy to share below.

Cube the potatoes; no need to be too careful about the sizes
but aim for relatively uniform sizes. Get the potatoes boiling while you get to
work on the filling. They should take about 20 minutes or so, enough to be
tender when pricked with a fork.

Brown your ground beef. We use lean ground beef and don’t
really need to drain the fat but if you use medium ground beef or just want to
be healthier, drain any fat you can with a spoon once all the pink is gone.

Peel and chop the carrots into uniform sticks.

Chop the carrots into ½ or ¾ centimeter wedges.

Do the same for your zucchini. (Once again, if you want to
speed things up or just prefer peas, feel free to use frozen peas and add them
to the filling later.)

Dice your onion into medium sized pieces. You might be able
to do this faster than I can if a) you have better knife skills than I do, or
b) you aren’t anal retentive like I am.

Add your carrots, zucchini and onions to your browned beef.
Stir and then cover until the vegetables are just starting to soften.

Add your salsa. This not only adds flavor but also helps the
filling to stick together better. (If you don’t like spicy foods, you can use a
smaller amount of tomato paste or even a similar amount of pizza or pasta
sauce… but come on, it’s salsa and it is delicious.)

At this point, all the veggies should be soft but not mushy
and ready for added flavor. Add the garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste and
your filling is good to go.

Take a large casserole dish and spread out your filling
evenly.

Now, it’s time for special tip no. 1:

We can all agree that cheese is awesome. If you disagree and
are not lactose intolerant, I’m sure you can find a good psychologist in the
phone book. However, when you put the cheese ON TOP of the potato topping, it
not only prevents a nice crust on top, it can also cook into its own little
layer that can be tricky to cut with a fork – and this is a knife-free dish.

The solution? Spread the cheese out over the filling layer
and then add the potatoes over top. You are welcome.

Now, once your potatoes are soft and drained of excess
water, add your butter, milk and a dash more of salt and pepper.

Use your hand mixer (or potato masher if you prefer less
creamy mashed potatoes) and whip the potatoes. Be careful not to overdo it or
they will get gummy if you use a mixer. As soon as they are whipped and all the
chunks are done, you’re done too.

Now, time to spread your delicious topping over your
delicious filling. Not liking this recipe is downright un-North American, by
the way.

Spread everything out nice and even… and then it’s time for
special tip no. 2:

Magical [scientific] things happen when food is browned and
charred, right? It’s the difference between a steamed White Castle burger and a
beautifully seared BBQ hamburger. In this case, instead, of just a flat
surface, you want a ridged surface of potato goodness. Use a fork and make
ridges along the surface of the potatoes. Not only is it fun, but it lets the
potatoes get a wonderful crispy texture that would be impossible if you left
them flat. Science is your friend.

Sprinkle your work of art with paprika (because grandma said
so, that’s why).

Throw that bad boy in the oven at 400 degrees. What you want
is to hear / see the juices bubbling up around the edges of the dish. It takes
about 20 or 25 minutes. Once that happens, you’re set to go – except for taking
further advantage of those those-to-be-delicious potato ridges. Turn on your
broiler and keep a close eye on things, as it will only take a few minutes to
add some wonderful texture and flavor.

When it’s all said and done, it should look beautiful –
crispy on top but still hiding that delicious melted cheese underneath.

Enjoy!

Now back to your regularly scheduled and
far-more-advanced-and-wonderful food blog.